Education:

MSc, Economics of Public Policy,
University of London

BA (Hons) Philosophy, Politics and Economics,
University of Oxford

Career:

1998-present - Senior Research Fellow, National Institute of Economic and Social Research.

1991-1998 - Principal Research Fellow, Policy Studies Institute.

1996-1998 - Acting Group Head, Ethnic Equality and Diversity Group, PSI.

1995-1998 - Group Head, Employment Group, PSI.

1985-1991 - Research Fellow, Institute of Manpower Studies.

1983-1985 - Research Associate, North-West Industry Research Unit, University of Manchester.

1981-1983 - Research Associate, Department of Economics, University of Kent.

1981 - Research Associate, Personal Social Services Research Unit, University of Kent.

1979-1980 - Research Assistant, Department of Economics, University of Stirling.

1978 - Economic Assistant, Barclays Bank International.

Research Interests:

Hilary’s main research interest is in disadvantage in the labour market and policies for addressing disadvantage. She has a particularly strong interest in how employers' practices affect disadvantage and how such practices might be changed. Her research examines Human Resource policies and practices, work organisation and employers’ attitudes. Other areas of interest include unemployment policy, adult training and skill development and higher education. Her research has examined disadvantage and discrimination in respect of age, gender, ethnicity, migration status, class, criminal record, long-term unemployment, literacy and numeracy and homelessness. She is experienced in both qualitative and quantitative techniques, including survey design and policy evaluation.

She recently led a five-year evaluation of the economic, personal and social benefits of Skills for Life, the government basic skills programme, which used a longitudinal survey matched comparison group design. Other recent research includes a study of factors which improve the effectiveness of race equality, based on detailed case studies; a study of Accession state migrants (for the Welsh and Scottish Governments); a study of pay gaps across the equality strands (for the Equality and Human Rights Commission); a qualitative study of the factors which lead people to consider they have suffered employment discrimination (for the Government Equalities Office); and an econometric study of the relationship between Equal Opportunity Policies and productivity (for the Department of Work and Pensions). She provided evidence to the Equality and Human Rights Commission Inquiry into Gender Inequality in the Finance Sector

She is currently undertaking a study of employers' role in insecure, low paid for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation; conducting an evaluation of the Better Off in Work Credit (with Richard Dorsett) (for the DWP); and is leading the second Survey of Employers' Policies and Practices with respect to age (for BIS/DWP).

Her research has been funded by the ESRC, charitable research bodies (including the Leverhulme Trust and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation), the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the European Commission, UK and Irish government departments and the Equal Opportunities Commission, amongst others.

Other Information:

Other Activities

1998-present - Editorial board, National Institute Economic Review.

1997-present - Tutor, Research Managers Course, Civil Service College.

1996-1998 - Advisory Group Member, 'Employment and Training for Ex-Offenders', Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

1997 - Steering Committee, The Continuous Adult Learning Survey, Department for Education and Employment.

1996-1997 - Commissioner, Haringey Employment Commission.

1996 - Member, National Forum for Values in Education.

1993-1994 - Co-optee, Wages and Work panel, Commission for Social Justice.

1995-96 - Labour Market Expert, European Social Fund, European Commission.